Page 74 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“I swear, I’ll scream!”

The door opens again. My eyes flit over to it as I grab my top and tug it over my head.

Cassius swaggers into the room, his eyes already on me. Where Reuben is staring at me like an obstacle he plans walking straight through, Cassius is mentally peeling back the clothes I’m throwing on with trembling hands.

Reuben stops a foot away from where the tiles begin. Just standing there, staring at me.Throughme. Cassius joins him. “You’re right, Rube. She’s definitely not supposed to be here.”

What the hell is going on?

Cassius steps closer. “You could get in all sorts of trouble being outside your room this late at night.” He yanks away my sweatpants before I can tug them up my legs.

Right, because he’s the fuckinghallway monitor.

Oh my God. What’s wrong with these people?

“Now what are we going to do about this transgression?” He takes another step, and I throw my hands up.

“Touch me and I’ll scream.”

“Do it,” Cassius says. “No one can hear you. Not down here.”

I back up, flinching when my back touches the wall. It’s way too cold through the thin fabric of my vest “I’ll tell Father Gabriel about this. And about the drawing.” My eyes flicker to Reuben, but he could have been watching clouds moving across the sky for all the emotion on his face. “And I’ll tell him about what you did on Monday.”

Cassius cocks his head. “Compulsive liar much?” He leans to the side, grabbing hold of the edge of the tiled cubicle wall. Then he slowly starts unlacing his shoe.

I bare my teeth at him, inching to the side. If he moves closer and Reuben stays where he is, then I could squeeze past them. I’m not an athlete, but I’m sure I’m faster than them.

Would have been splendid if you’d been all soaped up and naked, don’t you think? Like trying to catch a greased pig. Except you’ve got clothes on, Genius.

Cassius straightens and toes off his shoes. Then he pulls his shirt over his head.

Even in my panicked state, I can’t help but notice his slim, perfectly proportioned body. Porcelain skin—not even a freckleto mar it. A dusting of hair trails from his chest down a flat, hard stomach and disappears behind his trunks.

“Reuben, can you move?” a voice calls out. “You’re blocking my shot.”

Reuben twists around, revealing Apollo. He’s standing by the bench, his video camera trained on me.

My eyes want to pop out of their sockets.

“What the hell?” I breathe.

Cassius unbuttons his slacks, the rasp of the zipper drawing my eyes back to him. “Since you can’t seem to take a hint, you little slut, we’ve decided to stop being so fucking subtle.”

“You’re not supposed to touch her,” Reuben says, turning disapproving eyes on Cassius.

Cassius throws him an irritated look which melts away as soon as he focuses on me again. I’m crowded into the corner now, a steaming waterfall between us.

“Please,” I say, lifting my hands again. “Just let me go.”

“Oh, wewantyou to go.” Cassius shows me his teeth, but he’s not smiling. “That’s the fucking point. But you seem incapable of putting two and two together.”

He steps out of his pants.

His black form-fitting trunks leave nothing to the imagination. I’ve never seen one before, but I’m pretty sure he has an erection. To my virgin eyes, it looks abnormally long and thick.

Panic transforms into anger.

How dare they? How fuckingdarethey? Honest to God, do they really think they’ll get away with this? That I won’t say something?

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